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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26956042">Adam and Ronan's Guide to Surviving the Apocalypse</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/clawsnbeak/pseuds/clawsnbeak'>clawsnbeak</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Idiots in Love, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Road Trips, Sharing a Bed, Zombie Apocalypse, rated m for violence (but not explicit mentions)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:55:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,661</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26956042</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/clawsnbeak/pseuds/clawsnbeak</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Mr. Whelk didn't say anything, didn't even move his eyes up to the sound of Adam's voice. He exchanged a look with Ronan and suddenly, for just a second, they seemed to be on the same page. This is strange, Adam told Ronan with his eyes. No fucking shit, Ronan tried to tell him back which only made Adam's eyes roll in exasperation.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>He stood then, slowly inching to the desk. A scream sounded outside, Adam didn't recognise the voice but he understood the fear, the anguish, the tell-tale sign of someone who just lost hope.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Something slammed against what sounded like glass next to him and Adam jumped back. There was a split-second where he turned to look at the window, hoping it was just a bird, but they were on the ground floor and someone, no, something, was trying to get inside.</i>
</p>
<p>AKA the zombie apocalypse pynch fic nobody asked for</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Adam and Ronan's Guide to Surviving the Apocalypse</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hi hi!! welcome to the start of a whole new multi-chapter fic! this started as an rp with <a href="plantparrish.tumblr.com">chiara</a> and i noticed how little zombie apocalypse pynch fics there were so i figured... why not?</p>
<p>because she is one of my best friends, i dedicate the first chapter to <a href="dreamyparrish.tumblr.com">olivia</a> who has sat through many of my complaints while writing (thank you for that!)</p>
<p>i hope you will enjoy the first chapter and stick around for the ride because it's gonna be chaotic as hell</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"Will you </span>
  <em>
    <span>stop</span>
  </em>
  <span> fucking glaring at me? It's your fault we're here."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn't entirely true, the rivalry between Adam Parrish and Ronan Lynch was a well-known one among the students and teachers of Aglionby Academy. They were both at fault, they always were. The true question wasn't why they were stuck in detention but why they hadn't been there before. Well, why Adam hadn't been there before, detention had become a second home to Ronan, he supposed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ronan was one of those types of rich kids that made it seem like he didn’t care and yet he </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> did, otherwise he wouldn’t have worn those god awful combat boots that looked artfully worn in underneath his carefully disheveled uniform. Adam didn’t know if he disliked Ronan because of his shitty attitude or because of the freedom he possessed that Adam craved so much. He briefly looked from the tie slung around Ronan’s neck down to his own perfectly knotted one and felt the deep sense of jealousy settle in again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe jealousy had become a second home to him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"It's not my fault that you don't know basic Latin," Ronan shot back and Adam clenched his fists, trying to calm himself down enough to not stand up and march over to Ronan to tell him exactly what a piece of shit he was, preferably with a lot of swear words in between. He couldn't risk yet another detention, though. This one was already risky with the otherwise spotless record he had.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It made him hate Ronan even more for doing this to him, letting him sink to the bottom of misbehaviour with him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He ignored Ronan instead, something Ronan hated more than anything which Adam knew all too well. Ronan had many buttons to push and Adam intended on pushing all of them mercilessly. True, he wanted to go through high school with as little drama as possible, just wishing to graduate in peace and leave Henrietta, Virginia behind forever, forgetting its existence and hoping Henrietta would forget him in turn. That didn't mean, however, that he couldn't annoy Ronan as much as possible in the little time they had still left until graduation.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Just a few more weeks and then you’re out.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Adam tried to remind himself as Ronan glared at him again, boring holes into the side of his head with his eyes alone. Adam supposed that was a talent in itself, though he doubted Ronan had many more.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Is poor Adam Parrish offended now?" Ronan said, his tone sharp and cutting, intending to harm. Adam hid his fraying sleeve with his hand and whipped his head around to glare at Ronan this time.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Will you </span>
  <em>
    <span>shut up</span>
  </em>
  <span>?" Adam hissed back at him, eyeing the teacher, Mr. Whelk, who wasn't looking at them right now but if Ronan continued to blabber, he soon enough would. "He can hear us you know."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"He looks half-dead to me," Ronan mumbled back which made Adam frown in turn. Mr. Whelk truly did not look good, his skin pale and a little sweaty, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at his laptop, blinking slowly as if he had to remind himself he needed to.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Erm, Sir, are you okay?" Adam asked, more out of politeness than the goodness of his heart. He truly didn't care much but if he acted nice, maybe they got out of detention sooner and he could still get to Boyd's who he had to call earlier to apologise profusely for having detention which meant he'd arrive an hour later to this shift which in turn meant less money, less food, less of a chance of survival.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Mr. Whelk didn't say anything, didn't even move his eyes up to the sound of Adam's voice. He exchanged a look with Ronan and suddenly, for just a second, they seemed to be on the same page. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This is strange,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Adam told Ronan with his eyes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No fucking shit,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Ronan tried to tell him back which only made Adam's eyes roll in exasperation.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He stood then, slowly inching to the desk. A scream sounded outside, Adam didn't recognise the voice but he understood the fear, the anguish, the tell-tale sign of someone who just lost hope.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Something slammed against what sounded like glass next to him and Adam jumped back. There was a split-second where he turned to look at the window, hoping it was just a bird, but they were on the ground floor and someone, no, </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span>, was trying to get inside.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"What the fuck?" Ronan said and Adam could only nod helplessly before he was yanked back by his arm and then he realised Ronan hadn't been talking about the thing still pounding on the glass.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Mr. Whelk was standing now, just barely but still standing. His skin had turned ashen, his eyes a sickly yellow. They looked lifeless, as if the essence of Mr. Whelk was sucked out of him. He was mumbling weirdly as he approached them which Adam later recognised as growling. It made his skin crawl all the same.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They both eyed the door but Mr. Whelk, or what used to be Mr. Whelk was between them and their only way out. There was no time to freak out or take a second to think about what was happening exactly, Adam grabbed a chair instead, holding it above his head.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"The windows won't break," Ronan told him unnecessarily. His voice wavered slightly so Adam decided to be nice for once and didn't comment back even though he really wanted to.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He threw the chair behind Mr. Whelk instead, watching as he turned to look at the sound and limped towards the chair instead. This time it was Adam's turn to grab Ronan's arm and drag him out, taking another chair with him at the last moment to barricade the door from the outside, the chair firmly placed underneath the door handle. Adam could only hope it would make do for as long as they were still stuck here. He could already hear the slamming on the door, the shuffling feet, and the weird growling. He dragged Ronan a few steps back until they were pressed against the lockers, staying quiet until the banging on the door finally stopped.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Jesus</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Mary, and Joseph," Ronan swore, tearing himself away from the lockers and instead resorting to pacing up and down as Adam watched him. Adam crossed his arms in front of his chest, hiding his own shaking hands in his armpits.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Looks like they don't see that well so they use their hearing instead," Adam could only say which made Ronan panic even more. "We don't have time for this!" he then added, his voice cold and biting. It seemed to snap Ronan right out of his freak-out and Adam could finally breathe a little easier.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"How the fuck are you this calm when we're basically in an episode of The Walking Dead?" Ronan asked, the words coming out rushed and high-pitched instead of aloof and slightly annoyed like Ronan had probably meant to talk. Adam knew it had been an act all along, the bored expressions and drawled out words that always sounded like it took Ronan great effort to voice them, but he couldn't find it within himself to feel satisfied right now.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adam shrugged. "Because it isn't helping the situation," he merely said. His calmness stemmed more from his already daily survival and the years spent in the trailer, avoiding his dad's fists and learning to keep his calm to stay alive. Ronan didn't know any of that, though. Nobody did. He couldn’t blame him then for questioning Adam’s calmness but Adam didn’t like the suspicion. He hoped Ronan was smart enough to realise an eighteen-year-old couldn’t magically make zombies appear, he didn’t need the rivalry right now when his actual life was on the line.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adam sighed and took out his old, battered phone. He had a few minutes to spare with his simple internet plan and used it to look up what was happening, even though they both already knew deep down. Many movies and TV shows had tried to prepare them for this moment, a zombie outbreak, but it was nothing like reality. Or maybe it was and it just felt different because he was in the midst of it, watching as his once familiar Latin teacher turned into one of those things right in front of his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"What now?" Ronan asked and Adam knew then that it would be him leading them for as long as they stuck together, which he hoped wasn’t long. They may have just experienced the start of what looked to be a zombie outbreak together, but that didn’t mean that he suddenly liked Ronan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn't have a plan either, he knew just as little about zombies and the survival of them as Ronan did but he was the most sensible out of the two and perhaps it truly was up to him to use his brain and lead them to safety. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"There must be some baseball bats in the gym,” he settled for.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They needed weapons to defend themselves even if they were as minimal as the shitty quality bats that they used in PE to whack each other with more than the actual baseballs. Ronan, for once, didn't say anything and followed him instead. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adam never thought of himself as a leader. He'd rather slip into the shadows, quietly go about his life until he could fully disappear. Adam was synonymous with unknowable and while some had tried to figure him out, all had given up. Adam let them, he didn't need friends, he just needed his degree, the ticket out of the dusty town that had brought him nothing but misery. He'd still have the scars, though. The constant reminder that Henrietta would always remain a part of him no matter how far he ran. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It made him </span>
  <em>
    <span>ache</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adam supposed it didn't matter now anyway, the world was changing and nothing would have remained the same after the first attack. He suddenly regretted all the hours he stayed up to finish his homework, to cram those Latin verbs so he could finally be top of the class. Those problems all seemed minor now compared to the zombie trapped in the classroom they were quick to leave behind and the God knows how many other zombies that still roamed around the school.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"This is weird," Ronan mumbled and kicked some balled up paper down the hallway. Adam reprimanded him for making unnecessary noise but it was half-hearted. It really was weird, walking around the empty hallways of the school that were usually always filled with people running around, chatting to their friends. Adam didn't think he'd miss the posh accents or the slamming of the lockers but he truly did. He expected the school to be emptier due to the lateness of the day but this was almost morbid. The school was dead quiet save for the occasional creak of the old building or something else Adam wasn't ready to name yet. He knew there would be more zombies around but he could choose to ignore that for a few minutes at least, just to stay mildly sane.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They arrived at the gym and Adam basked in the familiarity of it. If he focused enough on the ugly floor or the barren ceiling, the stray ball in the corner of the room, he could almost imagine him coming back the next day to quickly change into his gym uniform, trying to prevent people from seeing the scars that marred his body. Instead, he followed Ronan as they sneaked inside to look for potential weapons, baseball bats as Adam had predicted. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Tennis rackets aren't gonna do shit, Lynch," Adam hissed to him as he tried to push a bat into his hands. "They're gonna break without even killing them."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"At least I know how to handle a tennis racket!" Ronan whispered back furiously but put it aside all the same and took the bat, turning it in his hands with contemplative eyes. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Fucking learn," Adam mumbled back and left Ronan standing in the supply closet, smirking slightly to himself when Ronan followed him right away like a toddler who you tell you're going to leave just so they run after you immediately.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I don't know what you're gonna do but I'm heading to the cafeteria," Adam said, his voice more of a normal volume now in the hallway. For some reason, the empty hallways gave him a sense of security and something told him he was going to regret being so careless. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ronan's eyebrows pulled down into even more of a frown. "You're gonna get wrinkles like that," Adam told him which made the frown even deeper, the harsh lines of his face making him look older than the eighteen years old he actually was. "So, we're on our own now?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adam shrugged. "We don't like each other," he simply said. It was true, they both knew that, and though every horror film ever had warned Adam about the dangers of splitting up, he really didn't want to be in the company of Ronan Lynch anymore. Ronan just reminded him of everything he desperately wanted but couldn't have; the freedom to be himself and the money to secure it. Besides, Ronan wasn't exactly a sunshine person either and Adam sulked enough for the both of them as it was.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Fine," Ronan said coldly and marched off. Something twisted in Adam's chest, a soft voice telling him he was already regretting this decision but Adam ignored it and turned the other way. He had to be smart and pragmatic about this, prepare himself for the worst-case scenario. Ronan was just a liability, sure, he had the muscles to kill a zombie, but Adam doubted he could ever pull through. Ronan was a fighter but Adam didn't think he had it in him to kill someone even if that person was beyond salvation anyways. Adam knew </span>
  <em>
    <span>he </span>
  </em>
  <span>had it in him, he had his father's blood and while he used to find that part of him disgusting, still did, it could help him survive now.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He stalked to the cafeteria with surprising ease, that should have been his first sign of something being wrong. Adam ducked into the kitchen and stepped over what looked to be a dead body on the floor with disgust to get to the pantry. It was more useful to have food that could be stored than to have food that would get spoilt after being away from the fridge for an hour. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adam set his bat aside and opened his backpack. With both hands, he could stick as much food as he could carry at a much faster pace. He threw out his books when his backpack threatened to become too full, he wouldn't need them anymore. Adam was just packing some water when he heard a faint groan behind him. He froze for a second, his first reaction to any kind of danger he had been desperate to unlearn. Adam's head turned slowly then and the dead body on the floor suddenly looked a little less dead. He backed up, his hand searching for the knife he could see glistening from the corner of his eyes, cursing himself for leaving his bat behind. His hand wrapped around the handle and he held on tightly, knowing it was the only thing that could potentially help him in this situation.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The person, or zombie, Adam corrected in his head, was fast approaching, much faster than any kind of zombie movie had shown him. He forced himself to stand still, knowing he would get bitten if he tried to run now and wasn't fast enough. He couldn't risk it so he stayed, watching with wide eyes as the thing got closer, its pace somewhere between walking and jogging. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adam breathed in deeply and ducked when a pair of hands came for him, sticking the knife into the zombie's chest with all its might. He knew he pierced the heart, he had paid the same amount of attention to biology as he had to every other class and could with certainty say that there was now a knife protruding from the organ.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The zombie only looked down in confusion.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>That's when Adam ran.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He secured the straps of his backpack as he rushed to get out of the kitchen, nearly slipping on the spilt water on the floor of the cafeteria. Adam could just catch himself on the edge of the table and dashed into the hallway, the loud footsteps of the zombie behind him. Adam's heart was pounding into his chest, his breathing coming out in little pants and he cursed himself for not doing anything to keep up with any kind of cardio. Being able to lift heavy things at Boyd's didn't matter for shit now. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adam nearly crashed into Ronan who came out of what looked to be the woodshop but Adam just managed to duck away. He heard a loud bang, something falling on the floor, and Ronan's heavy breathing next to him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ronan's bat, now decorated with nails sticking out from every corner, was covered in blood. The weapon was shaking slightly and Adam took it from Ronan before he could drop it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I killed him," Ronan whispered, his eyes wide as he continued to stare at the crumpled body on the floor. "I can't believe I did that."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adam couldn't believe it either, he just knew that with the loud sounds they had been making, more were sure to come. He dragged Ronan away then, trying to find some safe space where Ronan could have his freak out without getting both of them killed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He left Ronan outside as he checked the locker room, motioning for Ronan to move when he found it empty and secured the door behind them. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm a murderer," Ronan mumbled as he sat down on one of the benches, his head falling into his open hands. Adam didn't know what to do exactly, he wasn't the best at consoling people but Ronan looked so miserably he stepped a little closer and awkwardly patted his shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You killed a thing, not a person," Adam said after sitting down next to Ronan with a sigh. "I know it looks and feels like a person but I don't think anyone was in that body anymore."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adam could still see the lifeless eyes, the sheer animalistic hunger in them, and nothing else. He shuddered a little at the memory, knowing he would have to see those same expressions reflected in many more eyes maybe for the rest of his life, maybe even in his own if he wasn't careful enough.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You saved me," Adam added then and Ronan finally turned to look at him. "I didn't have a weapon and I couldn't have run forever. I would be dead without you."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"No 'thank you for not letting me die, oh great Ronan Lynch'?" Ronan said back and he finally sounded a little like himself again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adam shrugged. "I figured that was implied."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It got a smile out of Ronan, a fleeting thing, genuine but small. Adam wanted to capture it to remind himself it had been his doing.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"What do we do now?" Ronan asked a few moments after, breaking the silence again that had settled in the locker room, the reality of what was happening finally settling in now that they had a brief moment of peace. "We can't stay here forever."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adam bit his lip. Truth be told, he didn't know either. He had planned his future top to bottom with every possible scenario in mind and solutions for those scenarios if they were to happen. Nothing had prepared him for </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span>. An impending zombie apocalypse was not very high on his list of priorities when he started to map out his future and for once, he didn't know what to do. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I have a gun," Adam said, nearly bursting out in laughter at the way Ronan's head whipped around. "Not with me but at..." He couldn't say home. The small apartment above St. Agnes was nowhere near home. It was the only thing Adam had and it was better than the trailer in which he used to live, though that place didn't feel like home either. He imagined home to be peaceful, warm, somewhere to go to when life was anything but kind, a place to be yourself and let the tightly wound mask finally fall. He settled for "my place" which was a close enough description he supposed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adam could feel that Ronan wanted to ask him why he would have a gun but Ronan thankfully let it slide and nodded. "It's the best option we have. We can't exactly go to the dorms, it's probably swarming there with these fuckers."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"What about your friend...?" Richard Campbell Gansey the Third and Ronan Lynch were best friends and roommates, inseparable in the hallways though Adam never really saw how they would fit together. They seemed like complete opposites, calm and collected Gansey with the journal he always carried around, its pages nearly spilling from the sheer volume of it, and Ronan with his dirty combat boots and his devil-may-care attitude, a permanent sneer on his lips in contrast to Gansey's obviously fake welcoming smile. Adam saw the same sadness in both of their eyes though and he figured maybe trauma really did bring people together. He briefly wondered if it would be the same for him and Ronan but quickly shook that off.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"He's with his parents in D.C."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ronan's eyes hardened a bit and Adam wondered if Ronan missed his friend or if he just wasn't made to be alone. Adam just nodded and looked down at his shoes. There had been rumours of Ronan and Gansey getting a place together, away from the dorms but Ronan didn't mention it and Adam didn't ask. "My place it is then."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I can drive us there," Ronan offered and Adam immediately perked up. Ronan's car was a thing of beauty and, sure, he cared about how much safer it was to travel by car than his bike that was on the verge of falling apart or by foot but he also wanted to see how fast the Aglionby famous BMW could go. It's the little things in life, now more than ever.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ronan seemed to notice Adam's excitement and met it with a smirk to which Adam immediately schooled his features. "We have to find a way out first."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ronan stared at him for a few seconds.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"If you say something stupid like "the front door", I'll feed you to the zombies," Adam threatened. Ronan held up his hands but his eyes were glinting with mischief.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I'll get myself another bat," Adam said and looked down at the one Ronan had DIY-ed which he gave back immediately, having forgotten he was still holding it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Their hands brushed as Ronan took his bat back. Adam could feel the slight tremor in Ronan's hand but was focused more on the sheer warmth of it, Ronan's hands shockingly soft, betraying how little he had to work in his life. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"That was smart," Adam said and nodded to the nails, wondering if he would ever come up with doing something like that. Ronan was many things but most of all creative in the way he doodled his hours in class away, his hands always in motion in a language Adam didn't understand, no matter how hard he tried to decipher him. Adam thought it was admirable that Ronan could create things out of nothing, an ability he would never possess.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Don't sound so surprised, Parrish. It's not for nothing that I'm top of the class in Latin," Ronan replied with a self-satisfied smirk on his lips.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alright, admiration over, back to hating him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm gonna get myself another bat, cover for me?" Adam asked, trying to remain civil. Ronan's expression became serious again and he nodded. Neither of them was eager to leave the safety of the locker room or the semi-safety of the school but they both knew it was inevitable. So, Ronan did as he was asked and stood guard as Adam got himself another bat, holding it tightly as they crept out of the gym. A lone zombie was walking up and down the hallway which they sneaked past slowly. They were already getting familiar with the zombies, how they acted, how they sought out their prey. It was helpful but morbid in a sense. This was their new reality and it was up to them to roll with the punches, learn quickly and adapt so they had a chance at survival.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ronan pointed at his car on the other end of the parking lot through the window of the front door, a worried frown on his face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"If we stay as quiet as possible, we should be able to get there without having to kill another one," Adam whispered helpfully and put his hand on the handle, unmoving until Ronan nodded. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Let's go then."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adam pushed down the handle as slowly as he could and held the door open for Ronan. They immediately crouched down behind an abandoned car, holding in their breaths as a zombie walked by, limping strangely, its arms hanging by its sides, swinging back and forth unnaturally. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ronan motioned to Adam when the coast was clear and Adam followed him from behind the car, keeping his eye out for any other zombie that could potentially sneak-up on them. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As much as Adam tried to compensate for his deaf ear, he couldn't hear the zombie coming. It was Ronan who yanked him forward before the zombie could lay a hand on him and urged him to run which Adam gladly did, letting his feet carry him to the BMW as fast as he could. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ronan struggled with the keys for a second before finally opening the car and Adam nearly jumped inside, closing the door just before the zombie could get to him. It was bonking on his window now and Adam cursed as Ronan laid his bat on the backseat. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"We don't fucking have the time to think about the appearance of your goddamn car, Lynch," Adam nearly yelled, watching with growing impatience as Ronan shoved his keys into the ignition and turned them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Will you, for the love of all that is holy, hurry. the. fuck. up?!" Adam was yelling this time as the zombie managed to break the window to the passenger seat, glass flying everywhere. Adam just managed to cover his face to protect it from the shards trying to wedge into his skin Ronan cursed loudly as Adam pressed himself as close to Ronan as he could, trying to stay out of the reach of the undead.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They backed up suddenly, sending one zombie flying, and then they were driving, Ronan's foot not leaving the gas the entire time.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adam belatedly realised he was still firmly pressed against Ronan's side, breathing in and out heavily as he tried to calm his racing heart. He righted himself quickly and put his seatbelt on, looking out of the window, into the streets, frowning at the rampage that the undead had left it in.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He had read about this kind of thing in dystopian books, seen it in movies, tv shows, games, but nothing prepared him for the emptiness he felt as he saw the abandoned cars, the remnants on the street of people trying to leave, broken glass, some food, just lying there as escaping attempts made visible.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"It will never be the same again, will it?" Ronan asked, his voice small, wavering slightly as he continued to drive, his eyes on the road but his expression far away.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"No, I don't think it will."</span>
</p>
<p>
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</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>you can also find me on <a href="pynches.tumblr.com">tumblr</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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